Reflections from the Children's Rosary at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, CT USA

Today we were blessed with many adults who joined the children for the Rosary.  With the reconstruction of the lower chapel the children were relocated to the Upper Church to hold the Children's Rosary.  During the rosary the children place a rose before a statue of Our Lady at the end of each decade and ask for the fruit of each mystery.  

After the Rosary ended, Alina asked if she could give the adults who had joined us a rose in thanksgiving.  There were two women who had joined the children today who were originally from Cork Ireland. Both women were all smiles as Alina brought them each a rose.  They quickly told Alina that they love the Rosary and pray it daily.  It was wonderful to see one generation of Our Lady's children sharing their faith with Our Lady's younger children of today. 

An Unexpected End to Our Lady's Rose

On the way into the Church this morning there was an unexpected surprise.  A large crane had been brought in to help repair the stained glass windows of the Church.  Lying in its wake was the Rose garden where the Children's Rosary had planted a peace rose for Our Lady last year.  The rose had been planted on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima with the prayer that with every petal that formed on the rose 1,000 families would begin family prayer.  The rose bloomed several times last summer.  This year the rose was very late in blooming and two blooms opened for the first time on July 2nd.  The timing of this years blossom seemed to perfectly coincide with another gift from Our Lady.  An inquiry from a young man from East Timor, a country in South East Asia, came on the same day Our Lady's Rose opened.  When I asked what Church he belonged to he replied: Our Lady of Fatima.  We were both touched by the timing of the Our Lady's Rose opening.

Today seeing the Rose garden destroyed it was even more special that Our Lady's Rose was able to bloom once this year before its demise. So often I have thought of our time here on earth like the passing of a flower.  One day in full bloom and the next all traces gone forever.  Seeing all the Roses gone this morning there is a renewed feeling of urgency that we make good use of the very short time we have here.  Our moments are fleeting like brilliance of a new blossom open in the sun. 

Here is a little look back at the planting of Our Lady's Rose and some wonderful moments.

All the steps of planting the Rose
were done by the children.

On the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima the children held a Children's Rosary at St. Thomas the Apostle Church and then together planted a Peace rose as a gift to Our Lady.

Other posts you may enjoy:
Planting of Our Lady's Rose on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima
A Blossom of Love from Our Lady
Our Lady's Rose Blooms on Her Feast Day
Our Lady of Fatima's Rose Opens

First blossom on Our Lady's Rose

Even little Angie just 4 helps
 by watering the newly planted rose.

Five Children's Rosary Groups to Meet Over the Next Two Days

JOIN US IN PRAYER

Saturday July 13th
The Children's Rosary at Holy Trinity Church in Nairobi, Kenya will meet at 3PM local time in Kenya (8AM ET). This group had approximately 40 children at their first meeting last month.
The Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Hartford, CT USA will meet at 4PM ET.

Sunday July 14th
The Children's Rosary at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in South Windsor, CT will meet at 8:45 AM ET.
The Children's Rosary at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, CT with meet at 9:45 AM ET in the Upper Church.
The Children's Rosary at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, CT will hold their weekly Rosary at 11AM ET.  A reception provided by the Legions of Mary will follow.

Consider joining the children in prayer either at Church or from your home.  The children always pray for those unifying their prayers with them.

Thank you all and God Bless!

Reflections from the Children's Rosary at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, CT

Yesterday the weather was hot and sticky with temperatures in the 90s.  Despite the heat in the Basilica there was a wonderful turnout for the Children's Rosary with several new families joining them.  Deacon McDermott, the seminarian from Holy Apostles helping at the Basilica this year, joined the children for the Rosary which was a wonderful addition.  The Children's Rosary group leader at the Basilica had the good fortune several months ago of stumbling on a wonderful collection of religious statues at a thrift store.  She was able to buy the statues and she and her children washed them all up.  The cleaning revealed they were all in good condition and she decided she would use them for a little free statue raffle at the Children's Rosary.  With her permission I am including the little note she sent me yesterday,

The Statues all washed and clean

"Also at our statue raffle, we had children win statues in such a providential manor. It seems God has His hands in even the little things of life. A little girl who loves to fold her hands just so won the praying hands statue. Her brother thought that was perfect. A family that just said a novena to the Infant of Prague won a statue of Him. God is so good! A boy named after St. Joseph won a statue of him!"

Pope John Paul II to be Named a Saint

Our Beloved Pope John Paul II will soon be called a Saint!!! From the time of his death in 2005 crowds cheered, "Santo Subito"  (sainthood now) and those prayers have been heard and will be realized very soon according to the Vatican. 

Pope Francis announced on June 5th that Pope John Paul II would be canonized.  The date of the canonization has not been announced.

Pope John Paul at the Mass of beatification of Anton Martin
 in Slovenia in 1999 AFP/Getty Images

Pope John Paul II has always been a wonderful intercessor for the Children's Rosary.  The Children's Rosary book was written in large part on his Feast October 22, 2012.  The book is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Our Blessed Mother and in gratitude for the intercession of Pope John Paul II.  As the Children's Rosary just finished our novena to the Holy Spirit for the fulfillment of God's Plan for the Children's Rosary and the Children's Rosary book on July 5th there is this wonderful reminder of the powerful intercessor we have in Pope John Paul II.  His love of Our Lady and and young people is felt so strongly even today 13 years after his death.  As one of the thousands of young people who traveled to World Youth Day in 1993 I feel in a way that his hand in the Children's Rosary began with the love and faith he shared with us. May I humbly suggest that on this First Saturday, a day in which we remember Our Lady, we might all begin a 9 day novena to Pope John Paul II.  Might we consider asking Pope John Paul to intercede for the Children's Rosary and our Children's Rosary book along with our families and the concerns we hold in our heart.  May we together pray this beautiful prayer each day for the next 9 days: 

Prayer for Obtaining Graces Through the Intercession of the Servant 

of God the Pope John Paul II

O Blessed Trinity, 

We thank You for having graced the Church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your Fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him. 

Trusting fully in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. 

Grant us, by his intercession, and according to Your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints.

Amen

With ecclesiastical approval CARDINAL CAMILLO RUINI
the Holy Father’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome

(credit: novena from the John Paul II foundation)

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Favorite Prayer of Pope John Paul II

Favorite Quotes of Pope John Paul II

Five Children's Rosary Groups to Meet Over the Next Three Days

JOIN US IN PRAYER

First Friday
The Children's Rosary at St. Peter's Church in Steubenville, Ohio will meet at 4:30 PM ET.
The Children's Rosary at St. Joseph Church in Adrian, Michigan will meet  at 5PM ET in the Main Church.  This group has chosen to hold their Children's Rosary during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
First Saturday
The Children's Rosary at St. Agnes Church in Naples, Florida will meet at 9:30 AM in the chapel.
The Children's Rosary at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception will meet at 3:30 PM ET.
Sunday
The Children's Rosary at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, CT will hold their weekly Children's Rosary at 11AM ET. A small reception to follow provided by the Legions of Mary. 

Consider joining the children in prayer either at their respective Churches or from your home.  The children always pray for those unifying their prayer with them.

A creative expression of love for Our Lady
following a Children's Rosary at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception 

Thank you all and God Bless.

You may also like the following posts:
How to Pray the Rosary
How to Start a Children's Rosary
First Saturday Devotion

Our Lady of Fatima's Rose Opens

Our Lady's Rose opens today 7.2.2013
for the first time this year

Last year on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima members of the Children's Rosary planted a Peace Rose at St. Thomas the Apostle Church as a gift to Our Lady.  The children prayed that with each petal that forms on the rose that 1,000 families would begin family prayer.  All spring we have been watching Our Lady's Rose.  While many of the roses in the rose garden at St. Thomas were blooming our small rose was bare.  But then just last week I spied two buds.  Today as I walked to daily Mass the blossoms were gloriously open.  After a day of heavy down pours yesterday it was clear the blossoms had just opened as there was no damage to the two beautiful flowers.  

Our Lady had another beautiful gift in store for the Children's Rosary group today.  It came with an inquiry about the Children's Rosary.  The individual contacting us was from East Timor a country in South East Asia.  He was excited about the idea of starting a Children's Rosary.  When I wrote to him and asked his parish he said, Our Lady of Fatima.  Both of us were deeply touched to realize the beautiful timing of his inquiry and the opening of the Rose planted last year in honor of Our Lady of Fatima.  Another wonderful gift was to see this new connection in Asia after Our Holy Father had released his missionary prayer intention for July which was: "That throughout Asia doors may open to messengers of the Gospel."

The plans of Our Lady and Our Lord are so beautiful that as they unfold there is a wonderful excitement and joy at the realization of how intricate they are and impossible to predict.

The Peace Rose being planted as a gift to Our Lady
on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima 2012

Little Peter one of the members of the Children's Rosary
helped with the planting and watering of Our Lady's Rose